Newtownstewart
| Newtownstewart | |
| Tyrone | |
|---|---|
 Main Street in Newtownstewart | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | H400856 |
| Location: | 54°43’1"N, 7°22’46"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,551 (2011) |
| Post town: | Omagh |
| Postcode: | BT78 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Derry City and Strabane |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
West Tyrone |
Newtownstewart is a village, and a townland of 540 acres, in Tyrone. It is beside the River Strule below the point where its tributary, the Owenkillew, joins the river. The village is overlooked by hills called Bessy Bell and Mary Gray.
The village is in the Barony of Strabane Lower. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 1,551 people.
History
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The townland of Newtownstewart was historically called Lislas. Newtownstewart Castle was built by Sir Robert Newcomen in 1615 as part of the Plantation of Ulster. The castle was acquired by Sir William Stewart when he married Newcommen's second daughter in 1629.[1][2] The castle and town were renamed 'Newtownstewart' by Sir William Stewart after his birthplace.
The former Northern Bank building on the corner was the scene of an infamous murder in 1871 when bank cashier William Glass was robbed of £1,600 and killed. Assistant District Inspector Thomas Hartley Montgomery, of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who was in charge of the investigation, was subsequently tried, convicted, and hanged at Omagh Gaol.
Newtownstewart Town Hall, which was the venue for petty session hearings, was completed in 1880.[3]
Railway
Construction of Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway began in 1845 and reached Strabane in 1847. By 1852 it had extended to Newtownstewart and Omagh and its terminus in Enniskillen was reached in 1854. The company was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway in 1883.[4] Newtownstewart railway station opened on 9 May 1852 and finally closed on 15 February 1965.[5]
Royal Visit
The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) visited the Duke of Abercorn at Baronscourt as part of their Royal Visit to Northern Ireland in 1924.[6]
Sport
- Football: Ardstraw F.C.
- Gaelic sports: Newtownstewart St Eugene's
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Newtownstewart) |
References
- ↑ "Newtownstewart Castle". Castles.nl. https://www.castles.nl/newtownstewart-castle.
- ↑ Meek, H.; Jope, E. M. (1958). "The Castle at Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone". Ulster Journal of Archaeology. Ulster Archaeological Society. pp. 109–114. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20567512.
- ↑ "7 Townhall Street, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone (HB10/04/045 B)". Department for Communities. https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=1433&js=false.
- ↑ Patterson, Edward M (1962). The County Donegal Railways. Dawlish: David and Charles. pp. 10–11.
- ↑ "Newtownstewart station". Railscot – Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf.
- ↑ "The Queen Mum in Ulster". Belfast Telegraph. 5 July 2008. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/the-queen-mum-in-ulster-28276036.html.